Posted on Friday, January 18 2008 @ 0:55 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
In global PC shipments HP still beats Dell but the computer giant from Round Rock, Texas managed to reclaim the computer crown in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to research figures from Gartner and IDC:
Dell shipped 5.5 million units in the U.S., a 15.2 percent year-over-year increase and a 29.6 percent market share, according to IDC. HP, in second place, shipped 4.5 million units, a 9.8 percent year-over-year increase and a 24.3 percent market share. Acer, in third place, showed tremendous growth in the U.S., with shipments increasing 294.2 percent to 1.5 million units. Apple's shipments grew 30.9 percent to 1.06 million, a 5.7 percent market share. Toshiba was in fifth place, IDC said.
Gartner reported that Dell shipped 5.35 million units, with a 31.4 percent market share during the fourth quarter, compared to the 29.3 percent market share it had last year. HP shipped 4.4 million units, with market share growing to 26.1 percent from 25.5 percent last year. Acer and Apple were in third and fourth places, respectively.
Dell's switch from a direct sales model to selling PCs through retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart is paying off and has helped the company improve shipments, said David Daoud, an analyst with IDC. "They're coming out of nowhere to everywhere," Daoud said.
However, Dell is trying to catch up internationally with HP, which is investing more in distribution channels and understands business behavior in emerging markets better, Daoud said.
Source: PC World
